Human Development and Family Studies

Undergraduate Program

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) offers a wide range of courses in the areas of early childhood, human development, interpersonal relations, and family studies. Graduates of the department may enter a variety of human services vocations and/or pursue graduate studies.

B.S. Human Development and Family Studies

B.S. Human Development and Family Studies with teacher certification

Graduate Program

HDFS graduate programs have prepared students for careers as university faculty, full-time researchers, medical school faculty, and human service providers. The M.S. and Ph.D. programs in human development and family studies focus on families and individuals within families as they develop across the life span.

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Iva Lea Barton Research Suite

The Iva Lea Barton Research Suite is a state-of-the-art research lab that allows HDFS faculty and students to conduct research in a private space and facilitate multiple research projects at one time. The suite includes a focus group room, several interview and observation rooms, a central coding room, a family waiting room, camera rooms and a research lab.

The facility is named in honor of Iva Lea Barton, who graduated from Texas Tech in 1944 with a home economics education degree. Barton, who was honored as a Distinguished Alumna in 2007, has funded two other projects in early childhood education to further teaching and research efforts in the college. Her private gift was the major source of funding for the new research facility.